Nanaimo Was A Coal Town First

Long Before Shopping Malls & Recreation Centres

Nanaimo Existed Because Of Coal

Which Was Worth Nothing Until

A Miner Went To Work

The Nanaimo workforce did not always consist of highly paid workers with gold plated pensions and benefits whose idea of being hard done by was working a few hours of overtime, or fussing because their boss did not show them the respect they felt they deserved.

No, these guys probably considered it had been a good day when they did not have to be carried out of the mine suffering some serious injury, or even dead for that matter. I am sure that an injury which today would start a worker's comp claim is probably not even recorded in these records as I am sure that bumps, bruises and sprains were just considered the norm. In order to be recorded you would have to have been seriously injured or killed. If you were of Chinese nationality it would be likely your name would not be recorded, by merely the notation "Not Available Chinaman" where a name would appear if you were a white guy.

The next time you are feeling sorry for yourself because you think you have a job you really hate, take a few minutes to review the database at Nanaimo Archives which shows the records of accidents and deaths suffered by those that toiled in the mines in the Harbour City.

To give you an idea of what is recorded some typical entries might read:

1. Charles Bennie, miner, injured, rock fall
2. Frederick Wild, weighman, died, cage rope broke, fell 140 feet
3. Thomas Hawkes, miner, slight injury, rock fall, while fighting fire
4. James Jamison, miner, burns on neck, arms, gas explosion from open lamp
5. Isaac Showden, pumpman, serious injuries, runaway car on incline
6. James McKinley, miner, burns on face, arms, after explosion of shot
7. William Purdy, miner, burns on face, arms, after explosion of shot
8. Joseph Metcalf, miner, injured hands and shoulders, falling coal
9. John Foster, miner, cut about the neck, falling coal
10. Joseph Bevilockway, miner, fractured ribs, fall from ladder
11. Peter Taylor, miner, bad burns, neck/arms/back, gas explosion
12. Nicholas Parker, miner, burns on head, one hand, gas explosion
13. Henry Maguire, miner, broken ankle, falling rock

These accidents were recorded between March and December 1881.

To Read The Database For Yourself

To view the online database which records the mine death and accident database on the Nanaimo Archives website click here. To view the entire database showing all mining accidents and deaths from  1877 - 1952 (no information available for 1878 and 1880). I presume records were not kept prior to 1877 but presume mine safety was just as dangerous, if not more so, than for the years recorded.

Remember these miners that went to 'work' everyday for the most part were supporting their families doing the only work available to them at the time. When you read through the database you may be amazed at the frequency of workplace injury and death that was just a part of doing their job.

Understanding what the average working man was faced with on a daily basis may help to understand the deep rooted division that still exists today in Nanaimo, between 'Management' and 'Labour'.

So the next time the boss asks you to work a bit of overtime ...'Suck it up buttercup' and count your blessings you aren't having to work in the coal mines, just beneath your feet!